You can protect against computer overwrite viruses by using antivirus software. Antivirus software doesn’t discriminate when targeting viruses. Assuming you use a high-quality antivirus program, it will catch most if not all types of computer viruses, including overwrite viruses.
If an overwrite virus spreads to a file containing sensitive data about your business’s customers, you’ll lose that data. Instead, it will be replaced with the virus’s code. Aside from losing data, overwrite viruses can slow down your computer.
The Basics of Computer Overwrite Viruses. A computer overwrite virus is a form of self-replicating malware that deletes data as it spreads. All computer viruses can self-replicate. After all, that’s what distinguishes them from other forms of malware. With that said, computer overwrite viruses delete data on the victim’s computer as well.
All computer viruses — and other forms of malware for that matter — are a problem because they are designed for malicious purposes. Computer overwrite viruses, though, pose a significant threat due to their ability to delete data.
Computer viruses are a particularly harmful form of malware because of their ability to replicate. Like microbial viruses, they can replicate while subsequently spreading to other files, networks and devices. Some computer viruses, however, can also destroy data when replicating.
Of course, the biggest threat posed by overwrite viruses is the loss of data, but they can still cause performance issues nonetheless.